Author : Jheel Kshirin
Abstract
Music has evolved over time, and so have the instruments. Today, classical composers like Beethoven, Bach, and Chopin are household names, but the instruments on and for which they wrote music have vanished from studios and from conversations. The aim of this research study was to examine how the value of period instruments can be promoted among musicians through a qualitative approach. An interactive online workshop was developed that exposed classical pianists to 2 video clips of various classical pieces. While one video clip would feature the piece being played on a period piano, the other would be done on a modern piano. The participants were then invited to discuss the differences and similarities observed in the respective musical renditions, as well as the position of period instruments in the life of a musician today. Through these workshops, the various themes that came into view included the difference in the quality of sound of a modern digital and a period piano, the effect of experience on period instruments on the skill of the musician, and the limitations due to which period instruments struggle to make their place today. The identification of the constraints is crucial to their elimination. Problems identified through this study are solvable to an extent. Finding our way through these limitations, we could make period instruments accessible to the common musician.